If you’ve been keeping up with Marvel titles for the past year or so, then you’re well aware of how there’s been a great resurgence in all things mutant. In fact, the publisher has been churning out more books featuring those of the gifted variety than we’ve seen in quite some time, even launching series with varying lineups like X-Men Gold and X-Men Blue.
But now that readers also have X-Men Red to look forward to digesting – which features a team led by a resurrected Jean Grey, no less – it’s only understandable that the House of Ideas shift lineups in the other books and/or introduce fresh concepts in order to prevent them from becoming stale.
Kicking off the “Cruel & Unusual” story arc with style, we see stalwarts Iceman and Rogue heading up a new squad now that Kitty Pryde’s gang have found themselves incarcerated. After all, the world isn’t going to save itself.
Dubbed the “B-Squad” by Rogue herself, the new lineup includes the following: Armor, Ink, Magma and Magik. Actually, it seems as though we can add one more to the headcount, too, as Simon Lasker, the new Pyro, later showed up at their doorstep.
Now, that may provide some cause for concern given Lasker recently being under the influence of Mesmero’s Brotherhood, but Iceman is willing to give him a second chance after Rogue makes a case for him. To be honest, doing so is highly appropriate since the X-Men comics have long been built on the themes of redemption and inclusion.
X-Men Gold #23 is now available in comic shops, but we’d like to hear from you even if you’ve yet to read it. So, tell us, do you dig this new lineup? Or do you miss Kitty Pryde’s team already? Sound off in the usual place below!
